Car hire insurance
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Car hire insurance
Not strictly about aviation , but for those of you planning summer holidays in Europe or elsewhere and intending to hire a car read the small print . Many hire companies will Hold between 1200-2500 € from your card which is the amount of the excess that you as the renter are liable for should there be loss or damage to the vehicle no matter who is at fault .
There are insurance companies that will cover you in Europe or worldwide for the excess at very reasonable rates well below the €20 per day that some car hire companies will charge you for the super CDW. You can take the cover for just a few days or a year at a time.
the car I rented was scratched whilst parked in a supermarket parking lot , no major problems , a slight dent and some missing paint not too much damage or so I thought until I received a charge of almost €800 on my credit card so buyer beware
If this interests you do a google search to find some available options hopefully this will save someone some money
There are insurance companies that will cover you in Europe or worldwide for the excess at very reasonable rates well below the €20 per day that some car hire companies will charge you for the super CDW. You can take the cover for just a few days or a year at a time.
the car I rented was scratched whilst parked in a supermarket parking lot , no major problems , a slight dent and some missing paint not too much damage or so I thought until I received a charge of almost €800 on my credit card so buyer beware
If this interests you do a google search to find some available options hopefully this will save someone some money
I have Canadian credit cards which give me world-wide car rental insurance. I never take optional insurance. I must have saved thousands of dollars over the years. In North America, it is so commonplace that agents don't query it when I decline their expensive cover. I've occasionally had an attempted "hard sell" in Britain.
The hard sell is very prevalent in Britain, and it you don't take their insurance, they are more likely to find something wrong with the car. It's their way of improving their margins. However, it's also very hard to find these excess insurance companies who will insure Hong Kong residents. This is due to the high number of claims from here. My last two companies have declined my business on renewal. Judging by the standard of HK driving, I'm not surprised.
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:I am trying to find a company that will give me CDW insurance in the UK for 42 days, starting in June, the ones I have contacted so far won't insure an Australian resident! If anyone can help by providing details of an insurer that will cover me I shall be most grateful!
A couple of months ago I got a letter from iCarhireinsurance which stated "your iCarhireinsurance Policy will not be automatically renewed". The reason stated was that I was not a resident of an EEC country. Shame, as I have used them for several years and they have been quick to respond.
For example earlier this year I rented a car from the Enterprise group at Geneva Airport. They represent Alamo, Enterprise and National car rental. On returning the car at GVA after a week I was charged 600 euros for a surface blemish on the paintwork. It would have taken any of us five minutes with a polish to bring it back to perfect. The icarhireinsurance people paid the 600 in full, but I cautioned both them and the hire company headquarters that I thought it was a money making scheme and in my opinion fraud and should be investigated.
I guess with car rental companies having to resort to such methods to stay in business the secondary insurers cannot make a business. So I am looking around for another company, as a HK resident with no North American credit card.
I shall look at never ready's suggestion, thanks.
For example earlier this year I rented a car from the Enterprise group at Geneva Airport. They represent Alamo, Enterprise and National car rental. On returning the car at GVA after a week I was charged 600 euros for a surface blemish on the paintwork. It would have taken any of us five minutes with a polish to bring it back to perfect. The icarhireinsurance people paid the 600 in full, but I cautioned both them and the hire company headquarters that I thought it was a money making scheme and in my opinion fraud and should be investigated.
I guess with car rental companies having to resort to such methods to stay in business the secondary insurers cannot make a business. So I am looking around for another company, as a HK resident with no North American credit card.
I shall look at never ready's suggestion, thanks.
I rent a lot of cars. Last year, I got two claims against me. One was for tyre damage which I was told wouldn't be charged because it was too small on taking the car. The guy who checked it in had a different idea. (Enterprise) Successfully appealed. The second was under very strange circumstances. The check in guy found some damage which looked like it had been keyed - but wasn't there earlier in the day. He was hinting that the problem could go away there and then with a cash payment! I said no. Later I got an e-mail request to pay an astronomical figure backed up by a damage report from some dodgy garage with a photo attached - of a car with a different colour! I later got a phone call from someone asking for my card details - which I refused saying that they already had them. By this time, I was very suspicious and I told them I thought this was a scam - they put the phone down and I never heard from them again. I think this was a scam by the employees! (Sixt).
It's about time the industry got regulated.
It's about time the industry got regulated.
:I am trying to find a company that will give me CDW insurance in the UK for 42 days, starting in June, the ones I have contacted so far won't insure an Australian resident! If anyone can help by providing details of an insurer that will cover me I shall be most grateful!
I live in the UK and use Questor but they could not quote for our daughter who lives in Australia.
I found: Worldwide Travel Insurance [email protected]
who were able to quote for her.
The foregoing is not a recommendation but merely a statement of companies used by me.
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I have only ever had issues with Sixt, wheel damage on check out, charged for tyre damage that lined up perfectly with the reported wheel damage on check-in. I have spoken to many people who have had similar experiences with Sixt, they seem to be the worst offenders with this scam. I now do not use them, even if more expensive to go elsewhere.
Further to my last, we hired two cars from a well known international (but not the 'leader' 
) company in Pisa to drive up to Florence.
I forecast problems on return and took photos. Wash my mouth out - they were excellent with no difficulties whatsoever and didn't even complain about our CDW insurance.
I think it all depends on the people who have the franchise.
) company in Pisa to drive up to Florence.I forecast problems on return and took photos. Wash my mouth out - they were excellent with no difficulties whatsoever and didn't even complain about our CDW insurance.
I think it all depends on the people who have the franchise.
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Frogman , the CX insurance covers 15,000 HK but some of the car hire companies will charge you up to £2500 which still can leave you £1000 in the hole .
Story from many years ago, a friend took the hire car back with a tiny scratch which could have been easily fixed , He was told that his credit card would be charged £1000 to cover the damage . " What would I be charged if I had totalled it he asked ?" The same amount , its the excess you know, its what you agreed to on the contract .
He still had the keys and hadn't yet closed the contract , so he jumped into the car did a few doughnuts in the parking lot , smashed the rear side into a lamp post threw the keys at the agent and walked away with a lot more than £1000 damage which was what he was immediately charged on his credit card. So yes the repair costs are ludicrous.
Some advice I received, take photos of all sides of the car when you take it , if its dark use a torch , check the spare tyre and tools , take another set of pictures when you hand it back , especially important if you are dropping it after hours because its the only recourse that you have for disputed charges, also take pictures of the mileage and tyres . The rental agency has already ring fenced the excess amount from your card so they are more than happy to deduct money from your account
there is a broker in UK that deals with rental cars and offers additional excess insurance at reasonable rates which is worth looking at , I am not endorsing them in anyway shape or form but if you ( enjoy car hire ) do a google search with wording in brackets you should find it .
Just a word of caution a number of the travel insurance policies are only valid for 30 days from commencement of travel so if you are more than that you may not be covered
Story from many years ago, a friend took the hire car back with a tiny scratch which could have been easily fixed , He was told that his credit card would be charged £1000 to cover the damage . " What would I be charged if I had totalled it he asked ?" The same amount , its the excess you know, its what you agreed to on the contract .
He still had the keys and hadn't yet closed the contract , so he jumped into the car did a few doughnuts in the parking lot , smashed the rear side into a lamp post threw the keys at the agent and walked away with a lot more than £1000 damage which was what he was immediately charged on his credit card. So yes the repair costs are ludicrous.
Some advice I received, take photos of all sides of the car when you take it , if its dark use a torch , check the spare tyre and tools , take another set of pictures when you hand it back , especially important if you are dropping it after hours because its the only recourse that you have for disputed charges, also take pictures of the mileage and tyres . The rental agency has already ring fenced the excess amount from your card so they are more than happy to deduct money from your account
there is a broker in UK that deals with rental cars and offers additional excess insurance at reasonable rates which is worth looking at , I am not endorsing them in anyway shape or form but if you ( enjoy car hire ) do a google search with wording in brackets you should find it .
Just a word of caution a number of the travel insurance policies are only valid for 30 days from commencement of travel so if you are more than that you may not be covered
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I have hired cars in Canada from major players and there is no insurance on the vehicle at all. I you write it off then you are in the hole for the total cost. I would not rely on 15,000 HK to cover it.
There seem to be a couple of companies that will cover Hong Kong Residents for Europe but I can only find one to cover me for USA and Canada, this company is a lot more expensive than I was paying but is a lot cheaper than the rental company rip off; it also covers windscreen, tyre and underbody damage.
Well worth having on dirt tracks.....such as UK motorways these days.
There seem to be a couple of companies that will cover Hong Kong Residents for Europe but I can only find one to cover me for USA and Canada, this company is a lot more expensive than I was paying but is a lot cheaper than the rental company rip off; it also covers windscreen, tyre and underbody damage.
Well worth having on dirt tracks.....such as UK motorways these days.
Last edited by Cabe LeCutter; 30th Apr 2018 at 04:13. Reason: spilling
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Rentalcars.com will give you CDW insurance with their rentals, even in the USA. Then all you need is the excess insurance. The 15,000HKD covered by CX insurance will get close enough to the excess cover required. I never hire directly through the rental company when in the USA. They are a total rip off. once, a one day rental for $40 dollars truned into a $120 one when I returned the car, as there were heaps of hidden charges, like one day rental, drop off fees, hideen insurances fees that I had to have, on top of that, they charge tax on top of other taxes!. The good thing of going through an web company, is that you usually pay upfront. No hidden extras when you collect the car.
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Frogman and Raven -
I've got the right choice deluxe travel insurance, and I've searched intracx and googled AIA and can't find any reference to the excess and liability coverage you both mention. (in fact I can't find a reference to any carhire insurance at all). Where did you find those figures?
Many Thanks
PS - I use insurance4carhire in the UK for worldwide excess coverage, have been using them for years, claimed many times and always got my money back. But you need a UK address. I gave them my mother in laws. No worries.
I've got the right choice deluxe travel insurance, and I've searched intracx and googled AIA and can't find any reference to the excess and liability coverage you both mention. (in fact I can't find a reference to any carhire insurance at all). Where did you find those figures?
Many Thanks
PS - I use insurance4carhire in the UK for worldwide excess coverage, have been using them for years, claimed many times and always got my money back. But you need a UK address. I gave them my mother in laws. No worries.